1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to clothesline assemblies. More particularly, it relates to an assembly that includes a horizontally disposed chain supported at its opposite ends by bracket members which in turn are supported by mounting strip members that are secured to upstanding walls the amount of spacing between which establishes the length of the clothesline defined by the chain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The rules of many apartment complexes and condominium developments prohibit the erection of permanent clothesline structures because the same are considered unsightly. Those making their homes in such facilities are thus either burdened with the cost of running power-hungry dryers or with the trouble of putting up and taking down temporary clotheslines on wash days.
The most common form of temporary clothesline is a rope the opposite ends of which are attached by miscellaneous means to opposed, spaced walls of the type that typically define a balcony area. The ends of the rope are typically secured with a knot to brackets which in turn are fastened to the walls by screws. Another method involves the use of nails which are driven into walls and then bent to form a hook for the line. This method also requires the tying of knots to secure the opposite ends of the line to the respective nails. Regardless of which installation technique is employed, the rope must be taken down after use as no permanent attachment means are allowed.
The problems with these temporary clotheslines of the prior art are many. Screws or nails mar walls and nails projecting outwardly from walls in particular are hazardous to passersby since clotheslines are typically hung at eye level. Moreover, the clothes hangers which are hung from the rope tend to slidingly congregate together toward the center of the rope as it sags under their collective weight. Air cannot adequately circulate between the clothes supported by such closely spaced hangers. Further, poorly tied knots result in the unwanted depositing of wet clothes on the ground. The "home made" clotheslines of the prior art have further drawbacks as well, this brief discussion serving merely to point out the most obvious shortcomings.
Clearly, there is a need for a clothesline assembly that is easy to erect and disassemble and that maintains clothes hangers hung thereon in spaced apart relation to one another, but the needed assembly does not appear in the prior art.